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N0- 620,72l- Patented Mar. 7,' I899. J. C. PERRY.

THILL COUPLING.

(Application filed June 6, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES INVENTOI? JQJ ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JAMES C. PERRY, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LEILA P. ADAMS.

THlLL-OOUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,721, dated March 7, 1899.

Application filed June 6, 1898. Serial No. 682,672. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES C. PERRY, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to thill-couplin gs and its novelty consists in the construction and adaptation of the parts, as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

The object of my invention is to provide a thill-coupling capable of quick engagement and disengagement, and yet one which will be safe and sure and not liable to accidental displacement.

In the drawings, in which the same reference-letters refer to the same parts in all of the views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the shank-iron and a central vertical section of the shackle, concealed parts being shown in dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the shackle, and Fig. 3 a similar View of the shank=iron. Fig. 4c is a side elevation and partial section of a modified form of my device, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section thereof on the plane of the line 5 5 in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, a represents the shackle of the thill-coupling, which may be provided with a clip or secured to the axle of the vehicle in any suitable manner. The shackle a has side pieces, each one of which is provided with a groove g, curved forward at the bottom and forming a bearing for the pintle of the shank-iron. The shackle is closed in front at the top by two flanged pieces I) and b and which form a bearing-surface for the shank-iron and prevent its upward movement. It is likewise closed in front at the bottom by a bearing-piece c, which serves as a bearingsurface of the shank-iron to prevent its downward movement. It is open at the bottom at d and is provided with a back piece cl.

5 is the shank-iron of the shaft, (not shown,) to which it may be secured in any suitable manner. It consists of the longitudinal member e,which is secured to the shaft, the rounded portion 6, provided with the shoulder e" at the point where the member 6 is narrowed, and a rearwardly-projecting piecef, obliquely truncated at f. It is also provided with a projecting pintle p equal or nearly equal in length to the width of the shackle between the grooves g g on each side of its walls Ct a.

The method of using my invention is as follows: The shank-iron is elevated until the projecting piece f points downward through the opening din the bottom of the shackle. The pintle is then placed within the grooves g g and the whole dropped downward until the pintle touches the bottom of the groove. The shank-iron is then dropped forward and downward, turning upon the pintle p as a hinge. The projection f swings up and against the rear wall cl of the shackle and prevents any upward or rearward movement of the shank-iron, and the shoulder e of the latter forms, with the rounded portion a, a sufficient bearing-surface against the front walls of the shackle.

A modification of my device is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the rear projection f is omitted from the shank-iron. In this construction I provide the shackle with flanges h h, which serve as a support for a piece of soft rubber is, which serves as a backing for the shank-iron and prevents its disengagement after it has once been placed in position, the packing being hollowed out to fit snugly against the rear surface of the iron.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is-- 1. A thill-coupling comprising a shackle having its sides formed with inner opposite grooves, the lower ends of which are curved forward, said shackle having two opposite flanges forming bearing-surfaces and open at its front at top, a shank-iron having a rounded portion designed to fit against said flanges and also having a pintle designed to fit in said grooves, and means bearing against the rear wall of said shackle for holding the rounded portion of said shank-iron against said flanges, substantially as set forth.

2. A thill-coupling comprising a shackle having its sides formed with inner opposite bear against the rear wall of said shackle, substantially as set forth.

3. A thill-coupling comprising a shackle having its sides formed with inner opposite grooves, the lower ends of which are curved forward, and a shank-iron having a pintle designed to fit in said grooves, and a projection extended rearwardly from said shank-iron having its free end obliquely truncated. and designed to bear against the rear wall of said shackle, substantially as set forth.

4. A thill-coupling comprising a shackle having its sides formed with inner opposite grooves, the lower ends of which are curved forward, said shackle having two opposite 

